By the time I returned to the living room, Shelby and Josh were chatting and laughing while he ate a sandwich. He had a beer in front of him along with a plate full of food.
Good job, Shelby. She’d kept him busy while I beautified.
He jumped up when I entered the room, his smile falling and looking more scared and concerned than I ever remember seeing him before. If I’d ever wondered if our friendship was real – and I never had – I wouldn’t wonder now. No one could fake that sort of worry and fear. But could I turn that care into something more?
Probably not, but I was determined to try. I had to know one way or the other.
Rushing toward me, he wrapped me in a big hug. I stiffened instinctually, waiting for that overwhelming feeling of the walls closing in that I had been burdened with all day but it didn’t happen this time. I didn’t exactly melt into him but I didn’t pull away immediately either. My head was whispering cautionary warnings but my heart was telling my brain to hush up. This was Josh and he wouldn’t hurt me for the world. I could trust him and I made myself do just that, staying compliant in his embrace. I even managed to hug him back slightly, my palms resting on the firm muscles of his back. He felt warm and solid, like a wall of protection around me and when he pulled away I wasn’t relieved.
He bent his head and brushed his lips against my forehead, a gesture he hadn’t done since I graduated college. I remembered the day distinctly. He’d handed me a wrapped gift and then kissed my forehead.
“Thank God you’re okay,” he said softly in my ear, his warm breath caressing my flesh. I shivered but he didn’t seem to notice the effect he had on me.
Story of my life.
“I’m fine,” I assured him. “A little emotionally raw but physically I’m fine.”
“Luke said that you had a gun pointed at you. Jesus–”
“She did but maybe we shouldn’t rehash that,” Shelby said loud enough for the neighbors to hear. “I mean…if she’s not ready.”
I’d already talked about it several times, first to the cops, then to my sister and friends, and then for my parents. I could do it again but I didn’t really want to. It wore me out and made me think about things that were better left behind. I was all about the future now.
Feeling bold, I placed my hands on his chest and could feel the beat of his heart, strong and steady. To my surprise he didn’t back away, letting them rest there as if touching him was an everyday occurrence.
“It was frightening. I did have a gun pointed at me and I was scared. I thought I was going to die but I was lucky. Both me and the clerk are okay. I just hope the police can find who did this.”
The cops hadn’t seemed like they were all that hopeful, though. It appeared that convenience store robberies were fairly common even in our boring little university town. The store hadn’t had any cameras which shocked me and our eyewitness accounts were pretty vague. I had a feeling the only way these guys were going to be caught was if they were interrupted in the act of knocking over a store or perhaps turned themselves in directly to the police.
“You should have called me last night.”
I couldn’t think of one reason why I would have called Josh last night. He wasn’t my boyfriend. We were indeed friends but I didn’t make a habit out of calling him in distress, although there was that one time that I had a flat and didn’t know how to change it. Shelby wouldn’t have been any help.
“The girls were here.”
I didn’t know what else to say because it was the truth. Of course, my girlfriends were there for me. I would have been there for them, too.
A funny expression washed over his features and then it was gone. “I just hated hearing it from Luke, especially as you hadn’t been returning my texts.”
Really? He was going to bring that up now? I stepped back and my hands dropped to my sides.
“I got your texts last night. I was a little busy not dying. I’m sure you understand.”
There were texts from earlier in the week as well that I didn’t have a good excuse for but I wasn’t exactly being rational at the moment. I was running on adrenaline and fumes, ready to crash at any minute. Josh just had the good luck to be here when I’d about had it with company. I suddenly wanted to crawl into bed and curl up into a ball.
“Of course, I understand,” he protested, his cheeks red. “I was just worried. Turns out for a good reason. If anything had happened to you, I don’t know what I would have done.”
Shelby had been watching all of this without saying a word which was uncommon for my older sister. She liked to let people know her thoughts a good deal of the time.
“We all feel that way,” she said, reaching out to touch my shoulder. She was respecting my need for space. “We all love her, don’t we?”
Wow, she’d thrown down the gauntlet quick. No pussyfooting around here. Just put it out there and see how he’d handle it.
I should have known Josh wouldn’t miss a beat. “We sure do. She’s precious to all of us. What would I do without you to make sure all my history is correct? Or to taste test my cheeseburgers?”
You’d find someone else, jerk.
Josh wasn’t talking about the same love that I wanted. He was all about our friendship. A word I was beginning to loath.
“You’d look it up on Wikipedia,” I said, slowly falling into a soft chair. I was exhausted and all my non-sleep was catching up with me. “Looks like Shelby filled you a plate. You should eat before it gets cold.”
He sat down again on the couch, for once looking unsure as to how to deal with me. Good. “Will you keep me company while I eat? I’d like to spend some time with you.”
I tucked my feet underneath me and reached for the iced tea I had on the end table. That’s when I noticed the binder wide open. I couldn’t let Josh see it. That would ruin everything. Panicked, I quickly shut it but he had eagle eyes when he wanted to.
“Is that for school?”
Right. Yes. I’m a schoolteacher and that made perfect sense. Not that I was trying to trap a man, but that it was schoolwork. For students.
“It is. How’s the food?”
“Fantastic. Your mother is an amazing cook.”
“Someday I’m going to learn that recipe.”
He took another bite out of the pot roast sandwich and then placed it back on the plate. “I just can’t begin to tell you how relieved I am that you’re okay. So many things ran through my mind when Luke told me the news.”
Things? Like my dead body riddled with bullets? Since he didn’t specify what thoughts he’d had I could only speculate.
“I had a few grim scenarios running through my brain as well. The whole thing probably lasted less than ten minutes but at the time it felt like forever. But I survived and now I want to concentrate on living my life.”
He smiled, taking a drink of his beer. “That’s a great attitude. You’re a strong woman.”
Being a wimp wasn’t an option. Not with my sister and friends.
Shelby had been hovering around the perimeter somewhere in between the living room and kitchen.
“Another beer, Josh?”
He shook his head. “I’m not even halfway through this one. And by the way, congratulations on your engagement.”
“You’re coming to the engagement party, right?” she asked. “I got your RSVP. You and a guest.”
Was she doing this on purpose? Reminding me that he had a girlfriend? The amazing Trisha.
Grimacing, he cleared his throat. “About that. It’s just going to be me. My girlfriend and I broke up last night.”
Trisha the Terrific was gone? What happened? Did I even want to know? Did it matter? Josh was single again and I was planning to make him fall in love with me. I only needed a plan and time to read this darn book.
Shelby and I exchanged a meaningful glance. I hadn’t liked the idea of breaking up a couple but now the field was wide open.
Taking a seat next to me on the couch, my sister gave Jos
h a huge smile of delight. “I’m sorry to hear that, Josh, but I’m glad you’re still going to come. It wouldn’t be the same without you. And it will give you a chance to meet Mia’s new boyfriend.”
Hold on a second… What? My boyfriend? I didn’t have one and Shelby knew that. What was she doing, and which chapter was this?
Clearly I needed to read ahead.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Mia
After Josh left, I shut and locked the door behind him before whirling around to give my sister what I hoped was an accusing stare. She’d really stepped in it this time and damned if she didn’t drag me with her.
“Are you out of your ever-loving mind?” I asked incredulously. “You told Josh I had a boyfriend. I don’t have a boyfriend. I don’t even have a guy I’m dating casually. For the last four months I’ve been in a virtual romantic desert and there is no oasis in sight. I’m fucked. Completely fucked.”
Shelby waited until I’d run out of steam before speaking. “So much drama. You are not fucked. How are you fucked? I wouldn’t have said anything if I thought it would be difficult to find you a man willing to take you to the party. That’s the easy part, sis. Eligible men are everywhere.”
I fell back into a chair, my arms and legs sprawled. “Only people who are already in relationships say that. I’m not falling for it.”
“I already have a man for you,” Shelby explained calmly. “Trent Aldridge. He’s one of Brad’s friends from college and from what I’ve seen is a nice guy. Good looking, successful. He’ll be thrilled to take you to the party.”
“What’s wrong with him?”
Frowning, Shelby folded up the afghan I’d been using earlier. “Why would there be anything wrong with him?”
“He doesn’t have a date.”
“You don’t have a date.” She laid the afghan over the arm of the couch. “And there’s nothing wrong with you.”
“That we know of. I might have real issues and not be aware.”
“I think we’d be aware by now,” she replied serenely, retrieving her phone from her purse. “I’ll text Brad to let Trent know that he’s going to be your escort. I hope you two hit it off. He’s the best man and you’re the maid of honor, after all. You’ll be spending a lot of time together.”
It still didn’t make sense. She might be able to get me a man at short notice but if she hadn’t opened her mouth I wouldn’t need one.
“Why did you do it? Why did you tell Josh I had a boyfriend?”
“Listen to me, Mia, because this is important.” Shelby’s tone had a sharp edge to it that garnered my attention. My sister didn’t use it often. “Josh has to see you in a whole new way. He has to see you as a romantic partner and that means putting you in a boyfriend situation. We need to show Josh that you’re someone that other men want. You’re in demand.”
“But I’m not,” I pointed out. “Not even close.”
“We’re going to change that. By the end of the party, Josh’s going to wonder how he never noticed how wonderful you are. Trust me.”
I did trust my sister. For the most part.
“Seeing me as more than a little sister isn’t going to make him fall in love with me.”
“True,” Shelby conceded. “But I have a plan for that. Seriously, you need to read the book. It’s all in there.”
“I will but I haven’t had a chance.”
“Good, because it’s not enough to know what to do. You need to know why you’re doing it.”
“Okay, why are we showing Josh how desirable I am?”
Shelby grinned and slapped her thigh with excitement. “I’m so glad you asked. We’re going to fire up Josh’s competitive nature. It’s in his DNA. He loves to win and you, my lovely sister, are the prize.”
“You really have lost your mind. No man has ever fought over me. Heck, they haven’t even fought over you.”
“Tommy Baker almost did in high school. He tried to take a swing at Alex but he was too drunk to do it. They dragged him out of the party and took him home.”
“Almost only counts in horseshoes, as Grandma used to say. Seriously, this whole thing sounds like something Grandma would tell us to do. Your theories are based in mid-twentieth century attitudes between men and women. How about some empowerment here?”
“There’s plenty of empowerment in my book,” Shelby replied dryly. “I promise you. And yes, I see what you’re saying but some things really don’t change. Men like to compete and they like to compete over women. I didn’t make the rules, I only wrote them down.”
I dragged the binder off of the end table and onto my lap. “Just wait until Emmy reads this. She’s going to have a cow. A big one. This sounds so old-fashioned and too much like a stupid movie on television. The make-him-jealous plot is as old as dirt, and might I remind you, it usually doesn’t work very well.”
“We’re not making him jealous. We’re getting him to want you because you’re worthy of being wanted. That’s different.”
“A difference without a distinction.”
Shelby groaned and pointed to the book. “You have to read it to understand. I make the point in the book that a woman needs to be sure that a man will step up and do the work in a relationship. As a gender, I feel that we are far too easy on men, but of course that’s just my feelings. You need to make Josh do some of the work. Men don’t appreciate things they can get easily.”
I wasn’t sure I liked where she was going with this.
“Are you calling me easy?”
Shelby sat up straight, leaning forward with her elbows on her knees. “Sis, I hate to tell you but there ought to be a bathroom wall with your name and number on it. For a really easy, no stress relationship where you don’t have to lift a finger, call Mia Kelly. So I’m not saying you’re sexually easy, but you are…easy. You’re going to have to get tough. Look at me, for example. I don’t put up with any crap from Brad and he knows it.”
I couldn’t stop the giggle that escaped my lips. “Did you send him a memo to tell him? I can see that.”
Brad was a nice guy but he was always so formal and stiff. Like he had a broom handle wedged deeply in his anus. He was handsome, successful, smart, and devoted to Shelby. He just lacked a silly sense of humor, something that I absolutely had to have in a man.
“Will you take this seriously?”
I composed my features and cleared my throat. “Seriously. Yep, I can do that. So what’s next, Coach? You’re putting me in the game, but I don’t have any strategy yet.”
Folding her hands, Shelby gave me a smug smile. “That begins tomorrow. We have two weeks before the party and we’ll need every spare minute you have. But first…you need to read the book. The whole thing. You’ve got to believe in the system if this is going to work.”
Looks like I had some homework to do.
* * *
Josh
The next morning I was in the office early after a lousy night’s sleep. Nothing that I wasn’t used to but this time my head had been busy thinking about Mia.
What had happened to her.
What could have happened.
What kind of guy she was dating.
What screw I had loose that I was thinking about her all the time.
It was driving me crazy. I’d never obsessed about my friend like this and I didn’t like it one bit. I’d almost lost her Saturday night and clearly it was messing with my brain cells.
By the time Luke showed up with two large coffees in paper cups, I had a trash can full of wadded up paper that were once story ideas but now they were garbage. He placed a cup in front of me before lowering himself onto the couch in my office. I had parts of my storyboard everywhere and he had to gingerly tiptoe around it all because while it might look like chaos to him he knew I had a system.
“So did you see Mia yesterday?”
The coffee was halfway to my mouth when my brother asked the question and I smacked it back down to the desk.
“Jesus, is that all
you want to talk about? Mia? She’s fine. You could have called her yourself, you know.”
Luke’s brows shot up. “Who pissed in your Cheerios this morning? Damn, I only asked a simple yes or no question. When we hung up yesterday you were headed to Mia’s house, so I thought the most obvious conversation opening was asking about that. You’re a touchy bastard.”
Groaning, I took a gulp of the scalding hot coffee, feeling it burn all the down my esophagus.
“I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“Stop taking it out on people. This is one of the big reasons why you’re single. You don’t think about others.”
That wasn’t why I was single.
“I think about others.”
“Of course, that’s what you would say. Self-centered people don’t often know that they’re self-centered.”
Was that the case? Was I self-involved and completely unaware?
“Fuck you.”
My brother laughed and leaned against the desk. “That’s your answer to everything you don’t like. Real eloquent, bro. That’s another reason why you’re single. You don’t listen worth a damn. It’s your way or the highway.”
Now that I’d heard on multiple occasions from multiple people.
“If my way is better, why should I do it differently?”
“And you made my point exactly. Thank you.”
“But that’s not why I’m single. I’m single because I want to be. When I meet the right woman, I won’t want to be anymore.”
Luke shook his head. “You wouldn’t know the right woman if she walked up to you and slapped you in the face with a fish.”
A fish?
“I would know.”
My brother just shook his head and took himself into his own office. Taking a sip of my coffee, I pondered his words, although I shouldn’t have given them any more thought. He was just trying to piss me off but it wasn’t working.
Would I know the right woman when I met her? I’d always been filled with confidence that I would but I hadn’t realized Mia was a sexually attractive female until recently, so that didn’t say much about my awareness when it came to the opposite sex. I might have already dated the one and didn’t realize it.
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